Baseball, love and twitter: an MLB pitcher’s whirlwind romance
What sounds more like a scene straight out of a fantasy became a real-life story of baseball, romance and Twitter. Former Phillies (and current Twins) pitcher Vance Worley is engaged to a fan he met via Twitter through a series of odd and improbable circumstances.
Maricel Vivas was just another Phillies fan, and though she liked Worley from afar, she never thought she’d get a chance to meet him. When her brother heard that Vance was signing autographs in the area, he suggested she go visit her “boyfriend.” Maricel agreed and met the young pitcher that day. She even got a picture with him, just as many fans do at autograph sessions, but unlike what happens with most fans, the relationship continued on from there.
Around the same time, Worley’s teammate, Hunter Pence, went on Twitter to set up another friend with a date. Vivas took her chance and jokingly asked him to set her up with Worley. Surprisingly, Worley agreed and a date was set. Worley showed up to the date fresh off of a victory that clinched the National East Division title and the two hit it off. Worley likes to joke about their first date because he came fresh off of his celebration on the field and in the clubhouse, which can get pretty messy.
“So I’m sure I smelled like champagne and cigars,” Worley said.
Vivas didn’t seem to mind though as the two kept seeing each other and grew close over the years. Vivas’s family didn’t seem too convinced about the budding romance though, until Vance showed up at her front door to meet her parents. You can imagine the surprise, seeing the 6-foot-2, 230-pound righthander so commonly seen on a small TV screen standing on your front step.
The romance blossomed from there on, and now Vance and Maricel are planning on getting married in the fall of 2013. Despite being traded to the Minnesota Twins, you can bet that the entire Phillies team will be there to support their friend and teammate. After all, this is the stuff of movies or fantasies. It is sure to be a special day.
You can follow Vance Worley on Twitter here.
